St Mary's Students Support Charities at the Virgin London Marathon

Students from the Sports Rehabilitation programmes and the Professional Short Course in Sports Massage at St Mary’s University, Twickenham supported the fundraising efforts of 18 charities at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon by offering free sports massages to over 500 runners after their races. This was a unique opportunity for the students to volunteer their time to help good causes, which also allowed them to practice and develop their skills in a ‘real world’ setting. This year the students supported charities including the Mind, Mencap, World Cancer Research Fund, and Water Aid, amongst many others. Lecturer in Sports Rehabilitation at St Mary’s Paul Draper, who co-ordinated the volunteering this year, said, “The London Marathon was a fantastic opportunity for our students to practice their skills, whilst helping 19 really worthwhile charities and their runners. More than 90 students volunteered this year, with some coming back for the second or third time. As in previous years, feedback from the charities on the students’ professionalism and enthusiasm has been amazing.” St Mary’s Sports Rehabilitation students have been supporting the London Marathon for the past 14 years, and the programme hopes to continue building this relationship in the years to come. In addition, a number of students, staff and alumni competing in the race itself, the London Marathon has also supported the Endurance Performance and Coaching Centre (EPACC) since 2001.